Business accounting is the focus of the inter-workings and needs of a company’s finances. Business accountant oversee the internal accounting tasks and finances that are needed to operate a company. These accountants oversee many operations such as financial presses, budgeting and spending, and audits among many other things. Primarily business accountants advise those in charge within the company by creating reports, these reports help make financial decisions that are crucial to the operations of that company.
The three E’s of accounting: Education, Exam, and Experience. Becoming a Business accountant requires schooling, on-the-job experience, and even in some cases professional license. Dr. Kelley Meier defines what real world application of these three E’s look like. Most business accountants have a bachelor’s degree in in accounting or a field that is related. This degree is viewed as the minimum education needed. When it comes to on the job experience, one must be proficient in Excel, even needing to complete advanced courses in Excel.
There is also a two-year experience minimum of working in management accounting before you can take an exam to get professional licensing. It’s these professional licensing that round out the third E, exam. There is the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination to obtain your CPA. After two years of experience one can then take the Certified Management Accountant Exam
According to a survey released by The Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business. The Average United States salary for business accountants is $47,990. However, there are many factors that can influence ones salary. These influencers include management level number of years in the field, Advanced degree, and CMA/CPA designation.
Given one has these further qualifications the average base salary jumps significantly. The Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals gives a new base salary as follows: Lower Management $72,000, Middle Management $104,000, Senior Management $131,500, Top Management $145,000. This is only a national average and can change from state to state. One of those states that might look a little different is Oregon, which happens to be where Kristin Rohlfing works as an business accountant.
Before Kristin Rohlfing was the Vice President of Accounting for Dutch Bros HQ in Grants Pass, Oregon, she was a Public Account down the road in Medford, Oregon. As a public accountant, Kristin worked with tax audits. One of the companies she worked alongside with was Dutch Bros. Because of this relationship Kristin got along well with the head of accounting for Dutch Bros. As Dutch continued to grow, the opportunity for Kristin to join the Dutch Bros team was the perfect fit.
As the Vice President of Accounting Kristin’s specialty falls under Business Accounting. I asked Kristin about her three E’s, education, exam, and experience. Kristin has a business degree with an emphasis in accounting. She has taken the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. When asked about on the job experience, Kristin averages 40-80 hours a year continuing her accounting education.
Those hours only add on to the number hours Kristin works in a week. Curious to get a better understanding of hour many hours she works not in a year, but in a week, I asked both. I was surprised by the answer, “I work on average fifty to sixty hours in a week. As for how many hours I work in a year? I am already just over 2,500 hours.” The surprise came less from the hours per week, and more from the fact the she had her yearly hours already known. 2,500 hours in a 52 week work year breaks down to 48 hours a week.
What then does the average 50-60 hour work week look like. What does an average day look like. For Kristin it’s never quite the same. There is a lot of question that she has to try and answer. Technical questions, loss of process costs, and internal questions. She jokingly adds that “if I’m lucky even get some of my own work done”.
If given the opportunity would you do it all again? All the hours, exams, and education. “Absolutely” Kristin loves what she does. She loves who she gets to do it with. Those people around her that she gets to work with. She wouldn’t change anything about it.
